Electrical fitting.



I. C. STEARNS.

ELECTRICAL FITTING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 1914.

Patsnted June 29, 1915.

mmmwo ea snares refrains? clarion JASON C. STEABNS, OF WORCESTER, 1VIASSACHUSET'ES.

ELECTRICAL FITTING.

cially as-a fitting for the tail lamp of an automobile. 3

The principal objects of the mvention are to provide a fitting of this character in which the current can he turned on and oii' readily at the fitting so that certain recent laws can be complied with which requ re the tail lamps to be so arranged that they cannot be turned oii and on from the seat of the machine; also to provide acouvenient and practical construction for this purpose; to provide an arrangement whereby the turning of a knurled head or the like Wlli accomplish this'result and positively break the circuit or make it as may be desired; and to provide improvements in the means by which the parts are turned for the purpose of connecting the lamp with the circuit and disconnecting it therefrom.

Reference is to be had to the accompanyin'g drawings in which,

. Figure 1 is a side elevation of a two-wire tail lamp fitting constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal,

' central sectional view of the same with interior parts in elevation; Fig. 3 is a similar sectional View on the center line of Fig. 2 showing the parts in separated position; Fig. alis a transverse sectional View on the line +l---l of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a form of connector showing how a threewirc connection can be arranged in accordance with this invention; Fig. 6 is an end elevation. of one of the members of said connoction partly in section; and Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the other member.

This fitting is shown in the first tour figures as comprising a main socket member A having sockets in its opposite ends in one of which fits a plug B and in the other the lamp (1. The socket member A has an extcrnal cylindrical metallic busl'iing 10 pro vided with a pair of L-shaped slots 11 at one end for the pins 12- of the base of the lamp as is well understood in this art. At

' also provided with a pair of Specification of Letters Patent. P t t Jung an, 1 5. Application filed search 18, 191i.

Serial No. 825,712.

the other end this bushing double L-slots 13 for the pins 1% of the plug 13. The bushing 10 is also provided with a circumferential slot 15. Inside this bushing is a cylindrical insulating member 17 preferably of hard rubber. This is oscillatably mounted in the bushing and is provided with a screw 18 which, of course, is removable and the head projects through the circumferential slot. This is for the purpose of preventing the longitudinal mo-- tion of this loose insulating member and for limiting its rotary motion. This bushing is spring-pressed plungers 20 eccentrically located, and similar to those shown in my Letters-Patent on an electric connector, No. 1,096,138. Con sequently, the details of thescplungers will not be described in full herein. Each of these plungers is, of com-so, insulated from the other. At the other end the member 17 is provided with spring-pressed plungers 21 for engaging the two metallic contacts 22 on the end of the lamp bulb. It will be understood of course that when this lamp is inits fixed position with its pins 12 in the ends of the L-slots 11 the two plungers 21 have tobe turned to one extreme positiondn order to turn the current on and come into contact with the two metallic contacts 92. hen this hard rubber member is turned away from that position these two plungers will move out of contact with these contacts and disconnect the lamp. from the circuit. The other member 13 of the connector is shown as in the form of a plug having two sockets 23 which are also eccentrically placed andconstructed in the same way as the sockets described in my above mentioned application and cooperate with the spring plungers 20 in that end of the membenA. it will be observed that this plug, in order to be inserted, must he turned to a certain position with respect to the plungers 20, that is, the pins 1 1 must enter the straight part of the double slot 13 and at this time the screw head 18 must be at or near the center of the circumferential slot 15. lVhen pushed in against the pressure of the springs, the plug can be turned in either direction and it turned for example to the right. in the form shown, until the pins reach the limit of theirrnotion in that direction, the hard rubber-.member 17 will be turned to such position that the spring plungers 21 is provided with on the other and come into contact With the contacts 22 on the lamp and the circuit is complete. If, however, the plug is turned to the opposite position, the spring plungers 21 in the other end will move entire y out of contact with the contacts 22 of the lamp. Thus the current can be turned on and Or simply by turning this plug. .lt will be seen furthermore that the plug cannot be removed without turning the parts back to central position, to which position they must be returned to enable the plug to be inserted again.

The plug itself has to be provided with i a. knurled portion for use inturning it and for that purpose the following construction is shown: The hard rubber or other insulating member 25 Which extends through the metal cylindrical plug portion 526 and which carries the electrical connections therein is provided with a depression 2? near the end thereof. On the end of this hard rubber portion fits a cap 28 having an inwardlyextending projection 29 for engaging said depression and preventing the relative rotation of these two members. This cap is provided With an internal diameter suitable for enabling it to fit loosely on the enlarged portion of the hard rubber member and has an inturned flange 31 at its inner end adapted to fit against a shoulder 32 on the rear end of said enlarged portion. This flange is provided with two opposite passages 33 for per mitting the pins 14 to pass through so that the collar can be placed in position and will not easily come ed. The collar has a screwthread at its inner end fitting the internal screw-thread on the cap. The collar and cap are screwed together tightly so that the two knurled surfaces 38 and 39 on the collar and cap, but usually the latter alone, will constitute a gripping surface by- Which the operator can turn this plug for the purpose of turning the current on or oil or removing the plug. The advantage of this construc-- tion is that contrary to the form shown in the last three figures, there is no chance of unscrewing the cap when turning the parts in the bushing.

In the form shown in the last three figures, a three-wire connection is shown and some modifications are also illustrated, although they are not any more adapted for a three-Wire connection than for a two or fourwho one. In this case a connection is shown which may be applied 'to the head lamp if desired but no lamp support is indicated. A metallic bushing 40 is shown which is located in fixed position and in which is loosely arranged a hard rubber cylindrical member 41 provided. with three springpressed terminals 42 extending into the end of the bushing so that it constitutes the socket member." These terminals are provided with ferrules 43 on their outer ends dresses for connection with the Wires. The bushing is provided with a circumferential slot i l and the hard rubber member With a spring: pressed shouldered head 4C5 entering said slot fortlie same purpose as the screw head in the other form shown, but this is more easily applied as it simply is pressed back against the spring and the hard rubber member forced into the bushing. When once in place it will not be displaced except by positively forcing it in against the spring. Each of the terminals is provided with a spring inside the hard rubber for forcing its end out into the socket. The plug member 50 is provided with three sockets 51 for receiving the three contact terminals 42 in the bushing and is formed, as in the other case, of a metallic casing having opposite pins 52 engaging in the L-shaped slots 53 in the s chet member and provided with an enlarge shoulder 54 at the opposite end. in this casing is a hard rubber member 55 WhlCl). receives the sockets and which projects beyond the enlarged end and is of the same diameter as said end. A cap 56 fits on the end of this hard rubber nlember and is provided with an inward projection 5'? ex tending into a depression in the hard rubber member. A collar 59 having a knurled sur face fits on thiscap, but in this case the cap has an external screw-thread. In operation the collar alone is grasped for the purpose of manipulating the parts. in both forms shown it will be seen that the parts can be connected and disconnected very readily by turning the collar and cap and that they are always left in proper position for replacement of the plug when desired.

Although I have illustrated and described only two forms of the invention, 1 am aware of the fact that it can be carried out in many other formsand applied to the connection of other electrical devices and to other than two and three-Wire systems Without departing from the scope .01": the invention as ea.- pressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not WlSll to be limited in these respects, but

What I do claim is 1. In a connector, the combination of a bushing, an insulating member adapted to turn therein on its own axis and having electrical terminals on each end thereofi means at one end of the bushing for holding a lamp or the like in one position so as to engage the terminalsat one end of the insulating memher when the insulating member is in one position and to be disconnected therefrom when in another position, means adapted to be inserted in the other end of said bushing for making an electrical connection with the terminals of that end of the insulatin member'and for positively controlling and turning said insulating member to connect and disconnect the terminals of the first named end with the larcp cr the hire, said bushing having mew; for heling means in either an or of p955. bushing.

In an elecfiyiml semester 53215 90112153. nation 05 a plug alec'syicaT. wnnec- 10m extending tberethrm "T1 we? :wevidcd with an and afiapted t0 fit m a bushing-g, Wit M a shoulder at the other end, a lovabiy mountacl an the and mi the plug said shoulder and incv gamble of turning; thesz'em'a, and a collar an 52w plug s hsul 

